30 Thorki Challenges
by Ruka Jaganshi
Summary: Tiny fluff scribbles they are, from pre-Thor to post-A4. Typed on Android at dire nights to escape stress: grammar mistakes, plot crooks and OOC are likely.
1. 1-5

**"V"**

 **1 - Getting lost somewhere**

"This is definitely not the menswear department," Loki noted a step behind the thunder god.

"Nevermind trends, brother. The best thing is always keeping to who you are. And look, there are some fine materials here."

The sorcerer bit his lips to suppress a smile.

"I can imagine how you feel. But don't you think you should respect local habits while staying in Midgard?"

Thor thought for a moment while looking into his brothers eyes. Finally, he put down the textile from his hand.

"Fine, let's find the menswear," he said, and they marched out of _Carpets and draperies_.

 **"V"**

 **2 - Pet names**

"We're going home, brother," Thor pointed out sternly, searching the evasive gaze of the gagged, moping sorcerer. "My heart grieves from having to drag you in chains, after all the years while we grew up feeling closer than any other siblings."

"Have you?" wondered Natasha with a hint of amusement. "How come you're not calling each other names then?"

"What do you mean?" asked Thor turning to her.

"You know... A pet name or something."

"Pet name? But that must surely be used for pets and not people."

"No, they're not, Thor," the woman rolled her eyes, already regretting to get tangled in the topic. "You see, it's a name you choose to call someone dear; it's usually a word meaning something you're fond of, so it relates your affection to that person."

Thor listened to the explanation with a widening smile.

"Brother it is," he said after short thinking, and turned back to the captive, strictness yet again sneaking back on his features. Loki, however, was smiling to himself.

 **"V"**

 **3 - Patching each other up**

"Don't tell Father," adolescent Loki pleaded faintly through gritted teeth.

"But why not? It was a marvellous deed!" Thor gushed while doing his best to stitch up the wound on his brother's back neatly; his figure still lanky but muscles already swelling under his skin.

"Maybe, but he'd never admit that if it's me. He'd just scold me for forgetting the sorcery I've been learning for years."

"Come on, you know he wouldn't do that. Even he knows that anyone could panic at their first real fight."

"Have you been listening when he had his talks to us? Ever?"

"Stop moving around."

"Well, stop stabbing me! It's a fresh wound, for Heaven's sake!"

"I still think you should brag about it. You jumped in front of me before that malignant fire bull could have stabbed my throat."

"But I did it like an amateur, like I had never been trained for battle before. And that would definitely be a stab to Father's pride."

"Details. You saved my life, and that's all people would remember."

"Don't tell, or I'll tell how you got there in the first place."

Loki hissed as the thunder god yanked the last knot on the thread with a startled movement.

"You mustn't tell that! Ever! Or I'll be banished for good this time!"

"Do we have a deal then?"

"Oh, I know your deals, Loki, there is always a catch."

"Learn to tell a mutually locked stance. Basic combat rule number 23," Loki answered while turning around on his knees.

He smiled at the glowing summer sky blue in Thor's eyes, but seeing their contrast with the half dried crimson splatters across the boy's face, his mood faltered slightly. He dipped a torn part of his shirt into the lake next to them.

"It's a miracle you only got dazed from that previous hit," he muttered while concentrating on keeping his movements gentle.

Thor hissed as the cloth touched the bloodiest spot right above his forehead, but he grinned through the pain.

"The helmet caught up most of the hit," he noted proudly.

 **"V"**

 **4 - Hospital visits**

"Keep it short," Loki pleaded from behind his book. "I'm still too fragile for your loving."

Thor stayed at the door, and just smiled.

When it stretched long, the sorcerer looked up in surprise.

"So this is all it matters to you? No squealing or bouncing on my bed?"

The thunder god found no words to express his gratitude to whatever higher powers, so he gave it up quickly. He moved closer and hopped down on the chair near the bed.

"Look, I've got two eyes now," he pointed at the artificial eyeball given to him by Rabbit.

"Congratulations. Now please wash it at the sink there. Rub it in the soap well, three times."

"I've been wearing it for a year, it's fine."

"Curse the sorcerer's eyesight," Loki muttered to himself.

"Who found you?"

"You."

"You don't remember the time before this?"

"I woke up here."

"They say you muttered my name in your sleep."

"They're just teasing."

"No, actually _I_ am," Thor laughed. "Loki Laufeyson, it's good to have you back."

"Please, I'd prefer staying Odinson. I've learned my lesson."

"You never learn. You're both. What are you up to next?"

"Recovering."

"So you won't be gone when I visit next time?"

"Given that we're both residents of the Avengers Tower at the moment, and you'll probably be back by this afternoon, I don't think so."

"Perceptive as always, aren't we?"

"A god of mischief's gotta have his intel."

Thor then found what he really wanted to let him know. He sat on the bed unexpectedly and did what he'd regretted missing a thousand times: an arm slid around the slender shoulders, and he held them leaning in, careful not to strain the freshly woken body. As much as he hated it, he felt a tear pile up in the corner of his natural eye.

"Please don't be gone," he hummed into the unkempt raven hair affectionately, and then he left the room in a haste, not seeing the relieved smile on the sorcerer he left behind.

 **"V"**

 **5 - Scar worship**

"Take it out," Loki said three minutes into the brothers' reunion.

Thor examined his face suspiciously.

"Come on," asked the sorcerer softly. "Your Midgardian friends are all here, celebrating you as their saviour; in what way would I possibly dare to wrong you?"

"You still don't consider them allies, even though they've saved your life."

"Single actions are overrated, easily misunderstood."

"You just enjoy playing hard to get, eh?" smirked the god of thunder.

"You're the one to talk, waiting for me to beg."

Thor removed his artificial eye in response.

"It did quite a scarring there," he muttered.

Loki didn't answer; his thumb pressed to the pale eyebrow without warning, pulling the skin slightly to examine the ragged line that ran diagonally from the temple to the side of the nose. Thor could feel the warm vibration of accumulating energy in the palm over his skin.

"Close your eye."

"I can't."

"Close it," Loki repeated patiently.

And alas, Thor was able to obey, although he felt the bottom of the slender palm immediately slide onto his eyelid, as if helping the movement.

Heat increased, Thor held his breath and willed himself to stay in place.

"It'll hurt," noted the sorcerer with belated guilt.

Some of the nearby folks noticed the occurrence and gathered round to observe.

"Does that mean I can have the fake eye back?" Rabbit inquired. He got no answer for now, but he still had plenty of time to steal it later, so he didn't mind.

"Good boy," Loki said faintly in a minute, patting his brother's right cheek in mock approval. Thor grinned, and then he caught the light-headed sorcerer's shoulders.

"And now, I'll need to sit down a bit," Loki announced.

The god of thunder helped him to the ground and sat next to him.

"Is this why you haven't done it before?" he was curious to know.

"Growing an intricate organ requires all energies at my current capacity," Loki explained, massaging his temple meanwhile. "So my only chance was now that I'm at my peak after revival."

Thor scratched his newly reaquired eye absently while listening, but his thumb suddenly stopped.

"You left the scar here, though."

"Aren't battle scars the pride of a warrior?"

"Without exception?"

Not waiting for an answer, Thor reached across, and since he didn't meet resistance, swept his brother's hair aside, revealing a slender bald line running backwards from near his temple. Unmoving, Loki studied his face during the process.

The thunder god smirked at the sight of the scar that had healed without magical aid.

"Okay, now I believe you."

"You remembered," Loki muttered, openly impressed.

"I was sorry, told you a million times."

"And I always said I didn't care, but you wouldn't hear it. Paying attention to others but yourself wasn't your strength."

"How can I thank you for this time?"

"This time is _my_ thanks. For counting me in."

"It was evident. You claimed it yourself back then: _we have a Hulk_."

"That was only the spur of the moment, to keep Thanos' attention a tad longer."

"I insist. Let me make it up for your effort."

Loki sighed.

"A general Thor-pat here would suffice," he said, indicating the back of his neck.

The thunder god didn't attempt to hide his smile; his large hand slid behind the sorcerer's neck, but this time, their foreheads met as well.

"I didn't dream of having you here, brother."

Loki resigned into the unrelenting hold and closed his eyes, slightly smiling.

"I'm here."

"For good?"

"For good."

* * *

T.B.C.


	2. 6-10

**"v"**

 **6 - Making fun of one another**

Loki, around 600, stopped on his track to roll his eyes with a heartfelt sigh.

"Your humour sense needs immediate repair."

The god of thunder scorned down on him from the golden throne; his legs were cast over one of the armrests, an elbow leaning to the other while the fingers coiled loosely around the royal scepter. The helmet he wore featured horns arching into conceited heights.

''I am Loki, hornf- I mean rightful king of Asgard," his rich voice boomed around the echoing hall. "Watch your language, impostor! First of all, kneel before you speak."

"Only a fool would fall for such an obvious trickery, brother."

"It is no trickery, it is the truest phenomenon. With the king's departure, his son follows on the throne. First come, first served, brother. But behold my benevolence: in a properly charming attire, I'm willing to have you as the queen by my side."

"I'll be neither your queen nor following your kinks," Loki pointed out morosely. "Father and Mother are only out on a journey this week. Watch out so this mockery doesn't reach their ears."

"Oh, their _rears_ are perfectly safe from it if you agree to play along and have fun."

"Not in this game, my eternally beloved sibling. Stop your foolery now, before things go awry."

"Why, not for me, they wouldn't. It's always you who gets into trouble for it, remember?"

"In fact, I do, and it certainly doesn't serve your benefit right now," Loki hissed and walked towards the pedestal with long steps to do justice. But then a group of servants entered the throne room, so he postponed the brawling.

The maids gasped as they saw the throne occupied, and they hurried to kneel before it, casting curious glances at the wrongly chosen helmet.

"Come on, don't fall for that, ladies," Loki said in dismay. "He's just being his usual disrespectful self, that's all."

"Those are strong words about this noble warrior with a promising future," Thor noted.

If a look could torment, he might have went up in flames right now, while he returned the stare of the green eyes, beaming.

"True enough," Loki said then before turning his gaze towards the still kneeling servants. "Ah, I just remembered I've planned major decluttering in my residence today. I'll need all your help to finish before sunset," he pointed at the group with a circular movement."

"Oh, no, you won't," Thor interrupted, putting his feet down and leaning forward.

"I do what I want, brother. In fact, I want you to gather as many of the servants as possible!" the sorcerer told the surprised maids and continued with a proud smile. "I wish to distribute my unneeded belongings among you."

"He's joking, you know what a dirty trickster he is," Thor chuckled nervously while descending the steps from the pedestal. "Off you go, ladies, find somewhere else to work today. And as for you," he glared at the slender figure, "you win this one."

"You know your word isn't worth a speck of dust," Loki answered sternly. "End his game at once."

The god of thunder let out a disheartened sigh.

"And it was such fun."

The magic fell off them, and the two brothers dropped each other's appearance, taking up their own. The figures of the leaving servants melted into misty clouds on the floor, soon to evaporate completely. Thor glanced back at them in silent astonishment.

"Well played," the real Loki smiled at the taller god comfortingly."You're getting better at repelling my tease. It makes me a bit sad, to be honest."

Thor pointed at the flashy helmet on the other's head.

"It was a transparent trick, though. I wouldn't put that on if my life depended on it."

"You're depraving Mother's gift, you oaf," Loki responded, while he bobbed his head so a golden horn smashed Thor in the temple, and then he ran away from the blonde's revenge, their stomping and laughter echoing along the corridor.

 **"V"**

 **7 - A death of someone close**

Loki sat by the wall, shirt sticking to him from previous efforts, but it escaped his attention now; knees pulled up, an elbow supported on them, fingers clutching his hair, he quietly sobbed into his arm. Helpless rage, growing tension hindered his strife to clear his mind and obtain better control. But he had never felt farther from giving up, desperation drove him on in this antinomic manner, made him attempt to breathe evenly through the tears, forgetting now and then not to shut his eyes tightly. He was stumbling around in the wicked cycle of having no time left but needing to calm down to fulfil his wish.

Frigga's funeral was going on outside.

Mother's funeral.

But she believed she was simply _Frigga_ to him. That's how they had separated last time, he had made sure it was so. Because he had thought so himself, until his grazed pride had recovered.

And so, Loki wanted to let her know before she departed this world and ceased to be, her existence dissolving among the stars. As sorcerers, they shared a bond that lasted a while beyond death, so he could have done it. If his powers hadn't been restrained by these magical walls. If he had been good enough to get through them. He had already excelled at sorcery, and he had been more than satisfied with his parents' approval, not suspecting he would ever wish he'd have trained so much harder-

His other arm went up to mirror the first, now both hiding his face, muffling the irate, wet hisses to the surrounding creatures. He'd been trying for days, but all he had managed to get through the barrier was a faint stream of energy, not enough for even a breath's notice, and he's been growing exhausted. But there had been no time to rest, this was his very last chance.

Which he then royally missed. Frigga departed from this world, seen off by everyone except her younger son she thought she didn't have anymore.

 _I'm here, Mother_ , he would cry in nightmares. _I am your son. I am._

But not even dreams would pass through to the other world. There was no connection except for death itself. Nothing but the black void would listen to him.

During the days, he would reach depths he had thought to be unreachable, and quietly, absently call for people dear: Mother, Father, Thor. No one would ever come to make a futile attempt at observing his grief.

Until a few days later, there he stood on the other side of the wall, eyeing fake Loki with the stern justice in his look.

 _She's gone, brother,_ Loki's mind wailed.

"Thor," his illusion scorned at the god of thunder. "After all this time, and now you come to visit me."

 _Mother is dead, Thor, and I didn't say goodbye. You were there, right? Did you send her with love, as she deserved it?_

"Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

 _Are you grieved? Did you love her as well, brother? Why isn't it in your eyes?_

"Loki, enough. No more illusions."

The sorcerer's gaze dropped in synch with his fake's. Then the magic dissipated.

"Now you see me, brother."

Their eyes met for real this time. As if a veil had fallen off both of them, Loki observed the change in the summer blue eyes, and finally, he saw the answer. For just a moment, the past few years didn't exist between them; their loss was common, their pain the same: they were brothers.

"Did she suffer?"

He regretted the question immediately. What was he thinking? The years did exist, Loki was Loki, the traitor, the trickster. A personal question was all it took, and the moment of truth was gone, the pain tucked behind present matters.

"I did not come here to share our grief."

The sorcerer resigned to his brother's rigour. He knew just as much as Thor that shared grief could cover up but not erase reality, and that it would have been nothing but a short detour on their respective ways. So he resigned to it, though his exhausted mind wouldn't stop the pesky wailing.

"Go on..."

 **"V"**

 **8 - Sleeping in**

Like everyone else during the process of growing up, Loki Odinson also felt insecure at certain periods. There was the general inner chaos at the end of boyhood. There were the repetitive, shapeless dreams of murderous cold. There was his nagging suspicion that Father preferred to look and talk _through_ him like he was transparent, or that Mother was secretly pitying him for whatever reason. There was his rapidly growing knowledge due to his enjoyment of reading, and with each book the realisation of how little he knew. Tired from his constantly changing perspectives, he sought a sense of stability in the swampy world around himself, and being near his unfalteringly brawny brother seemed to help; even while said doofus was fast asleep.

So, on some tormenting nights, Loki would sit up after a few hours' staring at inner demons taking shape in the darkest corners, and he would sneak along the torch-lit corridor to enter Thor's room at the other end. Sheer luck would prevent him from stumbling over the mess as he crossed the rich carpet, clambering up softly at the foot of the king-sized bed. Thor wouldn't stir even while the visitor nestled himself entirely under the pile of bedspread, which had been carelessly kicked out of the way; the blonde was usually too exhausted from training or personal adventures of life and death.

One benefit of Thor's room was that the inner demons never followed here. Loki could curl up at his unsuspecting brother's feet and listen to the even breathing of a healthy slumber. He himself was a light sleeper, so he never had trouble disappearing from here before dawn.

Except once.

The two boys' first real-life battle was one of Thor's private adventures gone haywire. They had to fight their way out for survival and returned to the palace on the verge of collapsing. Received harsh parental scolding, and a punishment of all-day library work for a week. That was no punishment for Loki, in fact; and it baffled him, since he knew Father as a mostly "not stupid" man. Once again, instead of rejoicing as he should have, he couldn't help feeling like the king didn't really care.

The cycle of recurring thoughts and questions led him to his brother's room. He justified himself: he needed a good sleep after this horrible day. And well he slept; so well, in fact, that when Thor stirred in the morning and rolled over to slumber on, his face smacked into a bare foot, stunning him momentarily from fright.

Disgust took over as the young god of thunder comprehended the nature of the contact, but curiosity made him forget it soon, since he had never seen a creature with a foot for a head. Thus, it was time to obtain knowledge. He did it by carefully peeking under the cover.

What he learned almost made him take a backflip in his glee, but he held it back in time to avoid waking up his brother. He had always wished to share a room and do fun stuff together after bed time, but neither parents nor Loki approved. And now the latter seemed about to change his mind, finally.

Thor decided not to let the opportunity pass: they would play so many silly games between waking up and breakfast that Loki would never want to sleep separately again. But first, the good healthy morning slumber.

He let the cover back down onto the sleeping figure, and he lay down next to it, pulling the bed-worm tightly to himself. After all, it would be a shame if Loki woke up and left the room before Thor had the chance to show him the fun side of being siblings.

 **"V"**

 **9 - Hugging**

Family reunion after a fierce battle against other realms had its own rituals.

"Well done, my son, your deeds shall fly across the land in the form of legends." A hug.

"I'm so glad you're fine. Go to the infirmary for a check-up at once. No detours!" A hug.

"Good one, brother." A pat at the back of the neck, a smile.

"Stop treating me like I'm your dog," Loki asked.

"No." A grin.

 **"V"**

 **10 - Watching the other sleep**

The thunder god was slumbering. He was having a dreamless sleep, his skin barely different from the white pillow, except for the dark spots scattered on his face and probably his body under the sheets, remainders of the battle past. Devices of Asgardian healing surrounded him, glowing in various colours. The room, simple and earthly, contrasted the technology of a highly developed society: one that had been destroyed a while ago, leaving only a few hundred of its kind to find a new home here in Midgard when peace returned.

Loki was scratching his chin in deep thought as he observed the motionless phenomenon from the visitor's chair. In front of him lay a big, rash doofus, who happened to be the saviour of the universe, and his brother. And a pathetic human-lover. And a beaten-up, one-eyed cripple.

He leaned forward to check the scar currently uncovered, his thumb running along its ragged edge. Just as he thought, that eye was too late to recover even by magic. The rest would have been a waste of energy, the healing mediums had been doing a good enough job. Thor himself was forcing his way straight towards recovery, true to his own personality. It was only a matter of time till he woke up. A matter of seconds, in fact, since Loki's thumb and index finger were holding his nose right now.

The sorcerer quickly pulled back his hand when Thor shuddered awake, and his look showed utter innocence as the thunder god's eyes darted around the room and finally stopped on his visitor.

"Valhalla?" Thor breathed faintly.

"Hel, actually," came the answer, accompanied with a sympathetic look.

It took a minute till the information sunk in.

"No, it's not."

"Well, could you imagine me in Valhalla, brother?"

"It's where you belong. Your final deeds belong there."

A sad smile tugged on Loki's lips.

"Apparently, you're the only one in this world who thinks so."

"And me? What am I doing here?"

"You failed. Led the universe to ruin with your foolhardiness."

"No... That can't be-"

The sorcerer's hand slid on Thor's chest soothingly to stop him from overexerting himself.

"Someone else finished the job. All your friends are safe. Just not here, and not together with you."

The god of thunder was already panting slightly from the long missed movement. He closed his eyes for a moment to make dizziness go away.

"You'll see when you recover enough to get up," Loki said. "For now, enjoy your sweet ignorance while you can."

"Fuck."

The sorcerer bit his lip against smiling while sleepiness took over his brother again. This was going to be a fun week, and he himself was definitely going to Hel for it.


	3. 11-15

**"** **V"**

 **11 - Drawing each other**

"Now, why, brother? Why?" Loki inquired in a resigned tone while sitting enthroned inside a beaten, roofless Porsche, not glancing at the half naked thunder god's occupation.

"Look, just starting to get the hang of this. They said you're doing it right if it blows minds."

"Stop," the sorcerer pleaded, his hand lifting to massage the brim of his nose. "Stop. Please, stop. My mind is already getting blown. Woe me, having such a clueless oaf for a brother. First-born, to top it all."

Leaning his head on the backrest, he marvelled at the composition being created on the feverishly dancing brick wall.

"Thor, this is against the laws of your beloved Midgardians. Ruination of property."

"You heard our friends, that's a law of oppression. We'll destroy it next. This, brother, is art," the god of thunder waved towards his creation with the green spray in his hand.

The painting was a maze of colourful geometric shapes, almost resembling the god of mischief when you narrowed your eyes enough to see a blur with two crooked horns darting towards the sky. Coincidentally, that's exactly how the sorcerer's vision was at the moment.

"It's also a violation of personal rights," he warned. "Put some clothes on it."

"There they are," Thor waved over some triangles.

"That's not my navel?" Loki was utterly shocked.

"No, it's not," Thor lied and dropped the tools of Midgardian creation, then stumbled over a dazed gangster with a swollen black eye, plopping down onto his rear from loss of balance. He patted the shoulder of the grinning man. "Hey, buddy, where did you put that heavenly pipe of peace?"

The response was a stream of long held smoke leaving through the teeth with a giggle. A slightly disoriented hand rose up, the chunk of a cigarette tangled loosely among fingers. Thor guided it out of the way and spoke louder into the wasted man's ear to make him understand.

"The pipe. I want that."

"You're good, man. You's he god of heights," the gangster complimented him, as the Asgardian brothers had already consumed twice the amount of the goods than the members of both freshly allied gangs, and they were the only two still in a vertical position at this sacred ritual of making peace. But they deserved it for their heroic intervention. Namely they had arrived to Earth sent by the foreseers, with the warning that if they didn't prevent this particularly fierce New York gang war, the ways of Fate would lead to the extinction of mankind. Thor was more than eager to help preventing the disaster; Loki was dragged along against his will, but presently, he had no regrets about it.

"The pipe disappeared in that pile of humans last," he mumbled staring at the darkening sky.

"Bring it forth," Thor requested gazing into his lap.

Without turning, the sorcerer stretched out an arm over the car's door.

"Pipe!" he bellowed.

Nothing happened for seconds.

"Pipe," he repeated with weakening rigour.

"It only works for the worthy, you pimp," grunted the thunder god. "Pipe!"

They waited another ten seconds.

"Pipe, I am worthy!" Thor announced.

"Don't listen to him, he couldn't even keep a girlfriend."

"Well, this one couldn't even get one."

"He's mating with other species!"

"He's a trickster!"

"He's unworthy!"

"Am not," Thor snapped. "Here's the proof. Hammer!"

The silence stretched.

"Ha," Loki mumbled.

"I left it in Asgard because we came to establish peace," Thor said. "It travels a long way."

"Sure it does. Unless breaking the Midgardian law has diminished your nobility."

"Hammer!" yelled the startled thunder god.

He stared upwards expectantly in his sitting, not sensing his body lean backwards more and more, until it hit the ground.

"What a waste to the world," he wailed.

Loki sighed up at the sky.

"This is a fine day indeed."

His teasing found no response, unless the faint snoring counted as one. He didn't mind, the colourful dancing of the stars entertained him in his solitude. They presented his life in the form of epic paintings, even things he hadn't remembered so far, like turning into a woman and working in a brothel that served all species of the Universe, or giving birth to Father's eight legged horse and Hela's pet wolf.

The enlightening play was disturbed by Mjölnir dashing through the sky, scorching the air in its wake. Loki winced at the thundering crash nearby, and he peeked over curiously.

"Blast," he hissed when he saw that the hammer had missed the slumbering Thor's head by an inch. If that doofus had been just a tad bit more worthy, the fine day might have become an excellent one for the sorcerer. But all was not lost yet.

"Blowing minds, huh?" he mumbled while clambering out of the car. "I'll show you blowing minds."

He sat beside his brother, and conjuring a brush into his hand, he began working. He formed each dark letter with careful precision on the blonde's forehead, until it yelled _HAMMER!_ Then, for the sake of illiterate members of the sleeping gang, he painted the object mentioned on Thor's left cheek, with the handle pointing towards the brim of his nose.

He took in the sight with a tongue between his lips in satisfaction.

" _This_ , brother, is art," he noted before falling into sleep like a log.

 **"V"**

 **12 - Having a lazy day**

Two kings were there. King and King of Asgard, ruling as equals in a land of ultimate peace and stability, a land of a double pillar, a land of strength, a land of unbreakable justice. They walked the same roads, resolved differences with ultimatums in a hurry, because the enemy wouldn't wait for them to unite: it was gathering its army on the horizon under the sinking sun, millions of hearts ice cold, able to freeze you by a single touch, or by simply making you step into their footpaths. Those were their traps. Their spies walked into the land of Valkyries one by one camouflaged, and they left a cold trail that froze the hearts of those who strayed on the same routes. Many noble warriors were lost this way, but only for a short while: because their fiery hearts could only be frozen outside, and the unquenched flames melted the cold shell as soon as they heard the call of their kings and left the evil paths.

Laufey was growing morose from the repeated failure. In his rage, he sent a declaration of war, promising an attack before sunset. The Asgardians barely had time to prepare, the people were desperately looking to their kings for a wise decision.

The war that was to bring the ultimate glory never got to start, because the fiercest servant was sent from the palace to gather the mighty rulers before dark.

"Never mind, brother" young Loki soothed the raging blond child while they were led by the arm so they couldn't sneak away. "We can continue next time."

"We'll never have an entire free day again! When Father is home, it's always work, work, work! That's not what a king's life is supposed to be about!"

Loki wasn't sure whether his brother was right or not, so he didn't respond. In fact, he felt he knew nothing of what they both wished for: being a king. He only suspected that it wasn't like in their games. Even though the world they imagined around them sounded so right.

"Next time, we're running away so you'll never find us!" Thor threatened the unyielding servant, and a song loomed up in Loki's mind that he sometimes heard on the streets. Quietly, lips barely moving, he sang along.

 _"Run away-ay with me  
Lost souls in revelry  
Running wild and running free  
Two kids, you and me..." _

**"V"**

 **13 - In a fairytale**

"How in Heaven's name?" Thor inquired.

"He looked resourceful, he probably used his magic," answered the scruffy man behind his drink.

"Dragons can see through magic," noted the fleshy woman while serving their next round of ale.

"However he got it to work, he saved us all from the fearsome Arras, so we're eternally grateful."

The god of thunder took a long sip in deep thought. Then he asked again with knitted eyebrows.

"How?"

The man shared a glance with his mates around the tiny pub, then he scratched his bristles.

"No one is quite sure. But dragons can be pretty dumb at times, that one is certain. And Arras was old, its eyesight not the best. It often relied on its sense of smell. Only the extent of its stupidity has been undefined so far. If it really believed that the sorcerer was a maiden, let alone keeping it up till now, then its mind is really an endless hole of emptiness."

The people guffawed at that.

"Point is," said the man after the laughter died down, "that he's done good. Ever since Arras took him, it hasn't returned to claim another one of our virgin daughters. So all is fine now. The sorcerer's sacrifice is remembered in our tales."

"How long has he been missing without anyone looking for him?" asked the god.

"Five years," said the server. "I know, because the beast was about to take my daughter away. That man appeared at the last second, claiming himself to be our saviour. He teleported us away, first of all, and then he inquired about the financial and military state of our land. He probably wondered how much help he could get if the need arose. But it didn't, though their duel seemed to go awry at first; like you heard before, he ended up convincing Arras that he was actually a fiery maiden who could endure a lot from its capricious moods. So the dragon, instead of killing him, picked him up and left. Hasn't returned since. I say it found out it was fooled, ate up the man and hid away in shame."

Thor knew better than to believe mere rumours, or not to trust his brother's abilities, though Loki's absence for such a long time were still deemed strange in New Asgard, a place they had established after the Infinity War had been ended and all recovered to the state before it. That's exactly why, after eight years, he had set out finally to see where in the world his brother had been spending his days.

The morning after this talk at the pub, he headed for the mountains, travelling from peak to peak with the Stormbreaker, until he discovered the robust castle hidden in the narrowest clearing. Once he was there, he broke through the enormous gate with surprising ease: the iron structure hadn't been used for centuries, and it was so old and rusty that it collapsed at his lightest hit.

Nothing else was any younger inside the front yard, including the dried fountains, moss-covered statues, crumbling frescoes and armoured skeletons. As he looked more carefully, he realised that the hundreds of unburied dead were not part of an army; each and every armour was a different kind from a different era. The bones had been gathering here for centuries. Thor faintly wondered if he would find Loki's body decaying somewhere, too, or his bones licked clean, as the gossip said.

"Brother!"

His head jerked up at the sound, his look darting around, until he spotted the movement at the highest window of the central tower. He beamed up at the long not seen face, but before he'd have made a witty comment, he was interrupted.

"Kill it!"

It was a command that did not take _no_ for an answer. Not like Thor had any different plans, that's exactly why he came all the way: to kill… what exactly?

Ah, the thing just landing on a neighbouring tower, its claws ripping up roof tiles as it held on.

"MINE," hissed the thing in its raspy voice, a scorching tongue clumsily forming the human word.

"Wow, it does think you're a maiden," Thor marvelled.

"Kill it! Now!" came the answer with a slight pitch of hysteria.

"Alright, fine," muttered the god of thunder, spinning his weapon and throwing it at the beast's neck.

The dragon may have been large, but it was far from tardy: it pushed its weight up in an instant, letting the axe swish past under it.

"MINE," it roared, and the walls shook. "MY MATE!"

"Oh my," Thor gaped. "And I'm breaking up an intimate relationship, too."

"Not until today's sunset! Kill it! Murder it! Slice it up at once!"

"Telling me once was enough," noted the thunder god calmly. He didn't flinch even when the Stormbreaker returned from its long journey, cutting its way through the dragon's neck and landing in its owner's hand, splattering gold-crimson blood around.

The enormous reptile body fell in two pieces without a shriek, crushing walls under itself.

Thor decided not to rush up the stairs to meet the rescued one, not this time. This one could take care of himself comparatively well. He leaned to a broken statue and waited for gratitude to come to him.

"Five years," came the familiar voice from the tower, along with the sound of descending steps. "Five years' dancing on a thin line of pretence for survival!"

Thor was surprised when his brother emerged.

"Why aren't you wearing a dress?"

Loki didn't hear him from his own vehemence of stomping down the rest of the stairs to face his brother up close.

"They didn't say it was _immune_ to magic!" he yelled.

"Didn't they tell you that it could see through it?"

"That's utterly different from being immune! _Immune_ , Thor! It's a completely different word!"

So much for gratitude. Loki was so furious that some stray hairs around his head stood up. But his face was what made Thor laugh heartily.

"Good job at harbouring this passionate rage for five whole years."

"Good job at not missing me through eight damn years! After all I've done to prove my worth! All for this! For nothing!"

"Brother, I was afraid you'd hate me dogging your footsteps like I hold you for a damsel to rescue."

"I am _not_ a damsel," the sorcerer hissed threateningly.

"I know, calm down. It's over."

The sorcerer seemed to hold onto his grudge still as he passed his brother to lead them out into the open air and seek the path home.

"You played one pretty well, though," Thor muttered.

"I'm slitting your throat tonight."

"Did Arras really believe you were a virgin lady, even in this attire?"

"Thor, it was _immune_ to magic!"

"So you did such a great job that you never even had to wear a dress during the five years?"

Loki then spun round, and Thor's back hit a tree at the next movement. He could feel the blade press to his groin through the leather.

"Drop the topic, or something else is going to drop now," the sorcerer snarled at him, and his message finally went through. Thor followed him in silence from then on, a little pale from the previous threat, until another idea reached him, causing him to examine the figure before him more carefully.

Was Loki possibly using magic _now_ to hide his outfit?

But he knew better to bite his tongue before asking about it again.

 **"** **V"**

 **14 – Geeking out over something**

"Where did you get that eye?" Loki inquired while they walked towards the spaceship among all the survivors of the war.

"From Rabbit there," the god of thunder pointed at the furry creature bickering with the gamer tree. "He got it from another chap."

"Another? What kind?"

"I don't know," Thor shrugged. "He lost a bet to Rabbit."

"He bet his eyeball?"

"No, he paid 100 units. Rabbit snuck into his chambers that night and stole the eye."

"You're putting in foreign things of unknown origin?"

"It's not unknown, I've just told you where it came from."

"Can you list the diseases that guy had?"

"No, that topic isn't usually raised during theft."

"Really? Let me fill you in then. He's moving around in the criminal society, right? Keratitis, OHS, gonorrhoea, herpes, shingles-"

"Brother, we're gods. What kind of disease could bring us down that didn't kill that guy?"

They walked in silence for a minute.

"But, you know, I could regrow your eye in a much more usable form, too. Common devices like this can't get as close to real organs as my sorcery."

"Can't they? This thing is pretty awesome, actually, feels just like the real one."

"It might give you the impression of being like the real one, yes. Because you don't really notice the difference as long as you obtain the required information. But that machine captures at least a third less pictures in a minute than your other eye, and it doesn't even work the same way, so it does push your view into an unbeneficial direction to an extent, which could influence your reflexes, amongst all. What _I_ could conjure, however-"

"Thank you. I think I'll just keep this one still, as souvenir from the battles we've been through. And a memento of my newly acquired friendship."

Another couple of steps were taken quietly.

"I could make you see through walls," Loki suggested. "Or see things clearly in great distances, like Heimdall. _My_ eye would be much more resistant against the electricity you produce when you get overexcited. See, this artificial thing is made solely of worldly materials, which deteriorate from any physical impact. It ages with time, too, while I can create tissue imbued with my magic that's fit for the lengthy lifetime you're-"

"Brother," Thor glanced at him, his smile stealing into both of his eyes. "Are you possibly jealous that someone else helped me out instead of you?"

"What in Heavens? No. I am only suggesting that you should heed those midgets less, their level of development is completely different from ours. What _you_ need is-"

"Then are you worried that my affection has transferred to them while you were gone?"

"The affection you're capable of is not quite what I'd be saddened to lose, if any. I'm just trying to save my only family from self-humiliation."

The god of thunder was beaming while he put his arm around his unwilling brother's shoulders, jerking him closer while they walked on.

"A great journey you've made in the past years. Now stick to this road. I'm keeping the eye, though."

"You'll see, you'll cry," Loki grunted in the suffocating hold.

 **"** **V"**

 **15 – Teaching each other how to do something**

Loki smirked up at him from the book at his approach.

"Funny how you're always long-haired in my memories, despite having seen this many times," he noted.

"You should cut yours, too. Less daily bothers, less of that grease that makes you so weasel-like... What's that?" Thor marvelled at his brother's longest finger held up towards him.

"In Midgard, it symbolises the nonsensical request for you to stick your man-rod up your own rear. It's a common way to react when feeling insulted."

Thor smiled.

"Nice to see you're becoming more open."

* * *

T.B.C.


End file.
